ComVac 2013 to be held at Hannover Fair

November 8, 2012 - Visitors to ComVac from April 8 to 12, 2013 can look forward to a complete overview of the state of the art in compressed air and vacuum technology. ComVac is held at HANNOVER MESSE in the odd-numbered years and features all the world’s leading providers. For instance, the 2013 fair’s compressed air technology section will include big-name providers like Gardner Denver, Boge Kompressoren, Kaeser Kompressoren, Almig, Donaldson Filtration, Atlas Copco, Dalgakiran and CompAir. Ingersoll Rand will also be back at ComVac with a dedicated exhibition stand for the first time since 2007.

Industry professionals with an interest in vacuum technology can expect to see a comprehensive offering of products and solutions from well-known providers, such as Oerlikon Leybold, Gebr. Becker GmbH, Aerzener Maschinenfabrik, Pfeiffer Vacuum, Busch and Varian.

According to Oliver Frese, Deutsche Messe’s Senior Vice President in charge of HANNOVER MESSE, the strong exhibitor response is the result of the organizer’s uncompromising commitment to marketing the showcase and continually realigning it with market developments: “ComVac exhibitors regularly express their delight with the fair’s strong international appeal and the high quality and quantity of trade visitors from right across the manufacturing spectrum.” Much of this interest comes from the mechanical and plant engineering, automotive, electrical engineering and electronics, information technology, semi-conductor and processing industries.

The last ComVac fair, in 2011, attracted 176 companies, who exhibited on around 129,000 square feet of display space, and was attended by some 45,000 visitors. “We can already say that ComVac 2013 will beat last year’s record number of exhibitors and record amount of exhibition space by a considerable margin. The extremely positive feedback and the outstanding level of registrations we have recorded to date all point to a very strong showcase next year,” said Mr. Frese. “ComVac provides seamless coverage of all parts of the compressed air and vacuum technology sector, from generation and treatment, right through to distribution and use in machines and manufacturing systems.”

There is also strong visitor interest in classic after-sales services, such as maintenance and repairs, and in contracts for advisory and analytical services. The latter include simulations of compressed air requirements, leakage checks, audits and evaluations of existing compressed air systems and analysis of available financing options.

The exhibitors at next year’s ComVac show will again be presenting cutting-edge innovations and discussing the latest trends with trade visitors. “In April 2013, we expect to see a record number of innovative energy efficiency and sustainability-themed solutions,” added Mr. Frese.

Compressed air and vacuum systems – indispensable to industry and the skilled trades

Compressed air and vacuum systems have myriad applications in all sectors of industry and the skilled trades. For instance, positive displacement blowers and centrifugal blowers that generate operating pressures of less than one bar are used in water treatment plants, while blowers that generate air pressures of up to four bar are used to transport powders and granulates around industrial plants.

However, the majority of compressed air systems used in industry operate at pressures of between 4 and 15 bar. They are used to power grinding and drilling machines, industrial blowguns, pneumatic screw drivers and chipping hammers. Compressed air is often also used for cooling purposes and to control the operation of valves and instruments on a wide range of machines. Hospitals use pre-treated compressed air for breathing apparatus and to generate overpressure in operating theaters, while high-pressure systems, capable of generating around 40 bar, are used in bottling plants to inflate PET bottles.

Vacuum technology also has diverse applications across many sectors. For instance, it is commonly found in the printing, packaging, plastics processing, electronics and surface treatment industries. In bottling plants, vacuum technology is used to fill bottles and for pre-evacuation – where all air is removed from a bottle prior to filling to ensure that the vessel is completely sterile.

It’s clear, then, that compressed air and vacuum systems have become indispensable to industry and the skilled trades. The physics behind the compression of gases is well researched, and many generations of engineers have developed ever more sophisticated compressors and air blowers. Despite this, many manufacturers still use outdated technology.

“Many companies have used the same plant to generate their compressed air for many years. And no doubt the equipment is still working reliably and producing the required volumes,” said Mr. Frese. “However, latest- generation compressors are significantly more energy efficient, take up less space and operate much more quietly.”

The exhibitors at ComVac will be showcasing state-of-the-art solutions that deliver many important benefits, from major efficiency gains, significantly reduced power consumption and superior ease of maintenance through to lower noise emissions. Low-noise systems allow companies to locate compressors closer to their employee’s work stations – a critical advantage, particularly in smaller operations.

Investment in plant modernization pays for itself after only a short time

Rising electricity costs have prompted many companies to monitor their machines’ energy consumption much more closely. Total-cost-of-ownership analyses will generally show that investments in new compressed air plants are characterized by extremely short payback periods – on account of reduced electricity consumption alone. It’s not uncommon for modern solutions to slash energy costs by one third without sacrificing compressed air output. Significant additional energy savings are possible if manufacturers conduct a comprehensive analysis of their operations’ energy flows and include heat recovery systems in their modernization programs.

“Companies can transfer process heat directly or via heat exchangers from their machines, especially their compressors, to other parts of the operation where it can be put to productive use,” explained Mr. Frese. Many ComVac exhibitors offer heat recovery solutions that enable companies to use process heat for water heating – for use in showers, industrial processes, or food preparation – and for space heating in production halls. Process heat can also be re-used in production, for instance to pre-heat injection molding tools.

Companies that prefer not to purchase new machinery, even if the payback period is demonstrably short, can explore the pay-per-use service contracts many suppliers now offer as part of their portfolio. Under pay-per-use contracts, the ownership of new plant remains with the supplier. Users only pay for the compressed air they actually use – at fixed rates. They also pay for the machines’ electricity consumption. However, that cost is generally much lower than prior to modernization.

Hannover Fairs USA (HFUSA) provides global fair exhibitors lead generation and product launch support across target buyers and distribution networks worldwide. HFUSA works closely with exhibitors to help them maintain their competitive position on and off the show floor and to connect with a broad range of new market audiences.